Essay Sample on Brief Summary of the Role-playing

Peters and I take part in a role-play where he plays the role of the client, and I play the role of the counselor. The short play takes place in the classroom with a small audience who listens to part of the interview. Peters comes and meets me at my office, where I just arrived. This is after booking an appointment with my secretary at the front desk the previous day. As he enters, I notice the disturbing stance on his face as I offer him the seat. After exchanging some pleasantries, I offer him a drink and make sure he is as comfortable as possible. We start our session after I review the notes he left while booking the appointment. After two hours, we take a 30-minute break and resume for another hour. Our session ends with him, confirming that he will be coming for sessions at the same time and day of the week.

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Introduction

As we continue to learn new skills and all the information that is there to learn about counseling, we must demonstrate our understanding of the same. The role-playing above is one way to measure how well one has understood the topic and the skills learned in class. This paper will look at the difficulties the counselor experiences while in the therapy sessions. The main discourse will be what they go through in trying to focus on the patient's feelings rather than on the content of the narrative or the story as narrated by the client. The paper will also look at the counselor's experience in trying to offer expertise during the interview.

Difficulties when focusing on the client's feelings rather than on the content of the narrative as described by them

Modern counseling techniques and styles are diverse and vary from one counselor to the next, just like the challenges that clients present. Most therapists have mastered one model and theory that they use to administer their services. Whether it is cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, person-centered, holistic approach, strength-based, or nay other, each therapist has made a habit of using their unique way that gives positive results for their work. Yet all the above methods and approaches are bound to fail if the counselor does not establish a good relationship and connection with their client. Researchers put forward some research that, as a therapist, one must embrace to ensure that they deliver the best results from their session. The goal of therapy is for the clients to go back home feeling better and heal completely from whatever was ailing.

The therapeutic alliance is a theory that explains the importance of the patient and the counselor connecting for the success of the session. Failure to do so lives the counselor's efforts as a waste (Bachelor, 2013). Counselors find it hard to engage patients in a therapeutic relationship because of trust issues. Establishing good rapport between the client and the therapist is the most crucial step in understanding the patient. It is only when the client is comfortable around the counselor that they can get to express their feelings well and aid in their treatment processes. The client may end up not disclosing their real feelings and instead narrate endless stories to the counselor. In trying to concentrate on the feelings of the client, the researcher also needs to feel empathy for the client and make them aware of your attitude towards them. People tend to associate with people who open up to them about how they feel. Failure to do that will make reading the feelings of the patient very difficult.

Experiences in trying to identify the feelings of the client

My personal experiences during the role-play in trying to understand the client's feelings rather than the narration were through the establishment of rapport between the two parties. A connection is an essential aspect of the therapy session because it is only through that we get to learn about people's feelings (Duff & Bedi, 2010). Collaboration on the therapy tasks is also equally crucial in trying to ensure that as a counselor, I administer the best therapy to my client. Collaboration shows the client that you care about their story and that you want to help as much as possible. The importance of establishment of trust between the parties involved in the therapy is vital in making sure that the session is a success. As a counselor, one needs to be entirely and genuinely interested and engaged in the therapeutic relationship. We should also have unconditional respect for the client, empathize with them and be sure to communicate and make out views about our client conspicuous to them.

Conclusion

There are various and diverse ways in which counselors administer their treatment. Each therapist has a trusted source that they believe in bringing results to them. Therapists must connect with their clients to build trust and enable clients to talk about their feelings. A relaxed atmosphere for the client, which is void of tensions, is vital to the right diagnosis of the problem and its subsequent treatment.

References

Bachelor, A. (2013). Clients' and therapists' views of the therapeutic alliance: Similarities, differences, and relationship to therapy outcome. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 20(2), 118-135.

Duff, C. T., & Bedi, R. P. (2010). Counselor behaviors that predict therapeutic alliance: From the client's perspective. Counseling psychology quarterly, 23(1), 91-110.